Yaa is a Senior Behavioral Analyst at Canvas8. Growing up across three continents, they are always looking for the bigger picture and cross-cultural meaning-making. In their spare time, you can find them studying herbal medicine or by the ocean, possibly surfing if it's warm enough.

Conversations about sustainability are no longer enough. As it becomes all but certain that global heating will increase beyond the 1.5°C of the Paris Agreement, the effects of climate change are already a reality for many communities worldwide. People are not only sensing the urgency of the matter but are realising that existing strategies – on a personal and collective level – are not sufficient.

While companies and businesses were quick to make environmental pledges and commitments, demonstrated by the rising ESG movement in recent years, the momentum has slowed or reversed in the face of economic downturn and potential culture war boycotts. Both people and companies are increasingly confused about the language of sustainability, and vague and misleading vocabulary has led to cases of greenwashing. While climate change is acknowledged as a pressing matter, people no longer understand how they can make a difference – feeling mistrust, scepticism, and fatigue from the oversaturation of messaging from big companies. At the same time, others are angry at the lack of progress, taking more drastic measures to spur governments, businesses, and billionaires into taking action and accountability for their disproportionate environmental impact.

Facing polycrisis in a world that's more interconnected and globalised than ever, people recognise the need for new leaders and ways to mobilise. They're calling for more intersectional approaches to sustainability, looking at long-term social, environmental, economic, and ethical impacts across the supply chain.

At the same time, the cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on people's sustainable behaviours. People often prioritise price over ethics (even if the growth of the eco-luxury sector shows no signs of stopping) but are also increasingly adopting circularity to save on costs – buying more secondhand, seeking out durability, repairing more, and sharing more.

Sustainable Solutions

Tessa Khan is the executive director and founder of the research and campaigning organisation Uplift, which focuses on the transition away from oil and gas and towards renewable forms of energy with a global strategic vision. She's also a climate change and human rights lawyer.

Citizenship

Sustainability

What will the US elections mean for the future of sustainability? How will people navigate extreme weather? What role does culture play in climate education? In this part of the 2024 Expert Outlook, we speak to Tessa Khan about how attitudes towards the environment are evolving.